The influence of stages of maturity on the agronomic traits of fibre flax introduced varieties

Sa？etak The harvest time of fibre flax is influenced by climatic conditions, varieties, stages of maturity and the crop’s final use. In addition, the time of harvesting of fibre flax affects the quality of the fibres. Fibre flax can be harvested in few stages of maturity. So, this paper presents the influence of three stages of maturity (green, yellow and full ripening) on the agronomic traits (stem yield, stem yield after retting, total fibre yield, share of total fibre, long fibre yield, share of long fibre) of five fibre flax varieties. Varieties trials with fibre flax were set up in two years (2010-2011) and in two locations: at the experimental fields of the Faculty of Agriculture in Zagreb on eutric cambisol and of the College of Agriculture at Kri？evci on pseudogley on level terrain. The trials were carried out according to the randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replications. According to the results of the two-years research into the agronomic traits of fibre flax, significant differences were established among the varieties and among the stages of maturity under study. The varieties Agatha, Viola and Electra recorded higher values of investigated traits. All varieties achieved higher values of investigated traits at Kri？evci (production on heavier soil in which some of winter moisture remained available in spring months). The highest values of investigated traits were recorded when the fibre flax were harvested in the green ripening